Seven ways to manage your email traffic

Posted on May 12, 2008
Filed Under Featured Posts |

More and more of us seem to be getting overwhelmed with email traffic into our inbox. How does one get on top of it? No matter how many we reply to, there are still mails pending. And we seem to be managing mails all the time at the expense of other tasks. And one is not even talking about Spam here - only mails which need some action.

Is there a way out of the email trap? Here are some things people known to me do:

*Once a week pickup
I got this response today only from someone, and I find this the best so far:

“I am only getting emails on Monday afternoons. My last pickup was 5 May 08, the next will be 12 May 08.
This process makes life simpler for me and (I’m hoping) will allow me to respond faster than normal (like within a week rather than within a year, maybe). The best way to get in touch with me is to call me at ### ### #### or Skype:xxxxxx if you need something. Definitely call or Skype me if you email me something you need me to respond to quickly.”

* Allocate time of the day
Depending on how many mails you get that need to be answered same day, allocate times of the day when you will respond to your mail. Say, the first hour of the day when you get to your desk and another half hour after lunch while you fight the afternoon laziness. When focused on a single task, you will get it done faster.

* Respond after two days
If it can wait, respond after a day or two. If you reply at once, people tend to send another reply at once with yet another point or query. The chain of mails needs to be broken before it is set in motion.

*Delete or move what you don’t need first
An Inbox showing 300 pending mails can sound too overwhelming to even get started. Scan through your mails quickly, delete the ones you don’t need to save, and move the ones you need to designated folders. The Inbox will suddenly seem less heavy.

* Automatically move mails to folders instead of coming to Inbox
This is a classic one: Set rules so you know mails from certain sources will go automatically to designated folders. Works very well when you have subscriptions to newsletters, reminders for credit card and utility payments, or from those that have either a low or high priority (will not get lost in the clutter)

* Don’t acknowledge every mail
This may sometimes sound impolite, but you may not need to acknowledge every mail, send a thank-you note or confirm you have done a task sent to you - exceptions always there. The other side may then respond further setting off another chain.

* The fewer mails you write, the fewer you will get
This is obvious - most mails are in response to ones you send. The fewer you write, the fewer responses you will get. Call or text when possible.

And no, fewer mails do not mean no one loves you. In fact, they leave you more time to seek out a loved one.